


Away

by gryffindorJ



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Aurors, Begging, Biting, Blow Jobs, Danger, Desperation, Face-Fucking, Frottage, Healers, Invisibility Cloak, Kissing, Light Bondage, M/M, Military Background, Military Uniforms, Mystery, Rimming, Romance, Rough Kissing, Rough Sex, Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 15:22:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14696946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gryffindorJ/pseuds/gryffindorJ
Summary: Teddy is sent on a dangerous rescue mission. He has some doubts about his partner but learns what the true mission is about.





	Away

Teddy hated when it rained. Maybe it was because he'd lived in London so long; he’d grown tired of water sloshing in his shoes and the smell of wet wool on a crowded bus. 

His stomach lurched as the bus took a round-about much too fast, spraying water everywhere as it crashed through a puddle. Jostling and swaying in his seat, he closed his eyes, willing the cold sweat to stop and his heartbeat to return to normal. 

_Not today,_ he whispered to himself. Today he wouldn't be in some terrible traffic accident. Today he would live his life and not be horribly injured, his blood spilling everywhere. He was still getting used to his life not being in danger every day. 

Ever since Teddy was a boy he’d felt like he could see events that hadn’t happened yet or change what was happening ever so slightly in his favour. No, he couldn't stop wars or terror attacks but he could arrive somewhere on time even if he’d been running very, very late as easily as snapping his fingers. He could blend into a crowd, go unnoticed when he needed to. He could fall from a great height, like he had when he was in Afghanistan, and breathe through the heart-stopping-moment, and land with hardly a bruise. 

"Force of will," his grandmother told him. "Lucky Lupin," his unit called him. Teddy suspected that his many narrow escapes and the fact that he could count on finding a pound or two in his pocket when he needed was more than will or luck, but he couldn't explain it. He accepted it and allowed it to comfort him when he needed it. 

The bus stopped and Teddy hopped up from his seat. It was a stop too early but he'd walk the rest of the way. The person in front of him took the stairs very slowly, forcing Teddy to wait. The old, bespectacled driver stared straight ahead, holding the wheel with two hands as if nothing else in the world existed but moving the bus along. Teddy stared at the man waiting to see if he even blinked. 

"Come on wit' choo," said the spotty bloke behind Teddy, breaking his attention from the driver. Slightly embarrassed that he'd been caught staring, Teddy ducked his head and stepped onto the pavement as quickly as possible. 

Teddy pulled up his hood and hurried the few blocks to the hospital. He checked his watch as he jogged across the last crossing, hoping he wasn't late. It was a quarter till, plenty of time to get a cup of tea before his day started. 

The doors slid smoothly open as Teddy paused to shake out his coat. Fiddling with his bag, hoping everything in it stayed dry, Teddy tried to walk quickly past the receptionist who had a bit of a thing for him. 

"Mr Lupin!" She called out after him. Teddy winced and rolled his eyes before he turned. 

"Yes?" Teddy said, trying for cordial and not overly friendly. Dominique always seemed to get the wrong impression if he lingered too long. She was the kind of woman most men desire, with her long red hair. It wasn't that Teddy had anything against red hair, necessarily. It was that he preferred blokes with red hair and blokes in general. If only one of Dominique's various ginger brothers worked here and not her. 

"This gentleman is waiting to see you," she said, gesturing to the bank of chairs behind Teddy. 

Teddy turned to see a large, Black man, resplendent in his well-decorated General's uniform, standing to greet Teddy. 

"Sir," Teddy said with a nod of his head, resisting the urge to salute. Old habits died hard.

"Is there somewhere more quiet I can speak with you, Major Lupin?" the man asked in a slow, deep voice as he eyed the entrance to the hospital with annoyance. 

"Right," Teddy said, clearing his throat. "This way. And it's Mr Lupin. I'm retired," Teddy said, leading the man a little way down the corridor towards the vending area. 

"I'm aware of what you are," the man said, stepping even with Teddy. "It's why I'm here." 

Teddy's stomach tightened uncomfortably as his mind raced with possible reasons why this man was here and already knew about him. They came to a stop in the middle of a deserted corridor and Teddy turned and said, "This is as good a place as any." 

The man cleared his throat, a sound that reminded Teddy of previous tough commanders who made that sound before they sent you on a suicide mission. The hairs on the back of Teddy's neck stood on end. "A situation has arisen that needs your special skills." Teddy kept quiet and nodded, an old trick to get information out of commanders, who were miserly with it by default. "Your special forces skills." 

Teddy nodded again and said, "There have to be loads of other people you can choose from." 

"We need you." 

"I haven't so much as run a mile in four years, or fired a gun, swam, dropped out of an aeroplane, or repelled from a helicopter. I think you'll find me useless."

The man huffed and said, "Time is important. Will you do it or not?" 

"I have no idea what I'd be agreeing to," Teddy said, doing his best to sound casual. 

"There's been an attack at one of our embassies. We’re trying to move everyone out as quietly as possible to prevent panic. We've been told there's a series of serious injuries from a mortar attack forty minutes ago. Some are likely already dead, but we need you to go in and stabilise as many as you can for transport." 

There was a reason Teddy had left the military. He was tired of constantly being sent into hopelessly dangerous situations and he didn't like being shot at. "I am retired," Teddy reminded the general. 

"Yes, but you've become a doctor with our help." 

"That was my parting gift," Teddy said with an edge. 

The man's chest swelled and he seemed to grow three feet taller like all commanders did right before they tore your arse to shreds. When he spoke, Teddy was surprised by how calm his voice remained — forceful but calm. "You're right, Mr Lupin, there is nothing I can make you do. You are no longer in our service. With your advanced infiltration skills and your medical training, you are perfectly placed to be of service, not only to your country but to these men and women who have no other hope." 

"There aren't medics?" 

"You're better than a medic. We need more than a tourniquet and some morphine pills." 

"I'll need help. It really has been years." 

"We've got the perfect partner for you."

&&

Teddy pressed his head against the hull of the aeroplane. He liked flying. Something about it felt natural to him – unlike being in a bus – but he hated military planes. He liked commercial flights, where he could at least almost guarantee himself a window. He dreamed he was sleeping with his cheek against cool glass, a window. It was the window of a train and a little boy was trying to wake him up. It wasn't a smooth, shining silver train but an old steam engine, clattering along The train looked like a character from _Thomas the Tank Engine _but full sized and red, like the James-the-vain-but-fun-train.__

__The theme from the show came clearly to his mind like he'd just watched it yesterday and not thirty years ago. The train and the boy trying to wake him faded away. Teddy could feel the plane losing altitude and getting ready to land. He closed his eyes and gently swayed into the descent._ _

__He was rushed off the plane into a makeshift shower and changing room. He was handed a pile of gear and told to get dressed. He had just pulled up his army-issue trousers when a general, accompanied by two men and a woman, walked in._ _

__"Major, the colonel is here to brief you on your mission," the general said, nodding to the woman._ _

__"Only me?" Teddy asked, wondering where his supposed team was._ _

__"Your partner has already been briefed. He's on his way," the colonel answered crisply._ _

__She handed Teddy a map and hovered over him, saying, "The embassy is here. It's heavily surrounded by insurgents, they've artillery and snipers. They currently aren't targeting the embassy but if you're not careful they'll see you. Your entry point is here," she pointed to a distance about two and a half kilometres away from the embassy. "You will be dropped via air. You will then make your way by foot to the embassy. You will enter on the northwest corner through a concealed door." The colonel then pulled out another map, this one showed the layout of the building. "You will then search the building for the people who are missing."_ _

__"How many?" Teddy asked._ _

__One of the men answered. "It could be as many as ten."_ _

__"Ten?" Teddy said, astonished. "There are ten unaccounted for?"_ _

__"It's a shit show, Lupin," the general said, then nodded at the colonel to continue._ _

__"We’re told they all work on the first floor but you need to check the second and third floor as they may have run up."_ _

__"Right," Teddy muttered under his breath, now fully appreciating that he was on a suicide mission. He had never considered that the government wanted him dead but now he couldn't help but think that perhaps it did. He maybe should have called his gran before leaving. Nothing for it now._ _

__"When do we leave?" Teddy asked, putting the maps aside and lacing up his boots._ _

__"You've 15 minutes. Where the hell is – "_ _

__The door opened issuing another man into the already cramped room. The door wasn't even closed behind him when he said, "Have we all been eagerly anticipating my arrival?"_ _

__Teddy looked up from his laces and immediately wondered why he had never had an affinity for a man in uniform before._ _

__The man had a cocky, self-satisfied smirk that would've been off-putting if his eyes didn’t shine with the clear hint of a good sense of humour. Teddy felt breathless. He wanted to know who this person was, this person who he had stupidly gone his whole life not knowing. Teddy wanted to know every inch of him, from his worn but cared-for boots to the ends of his mad, inky-black hair._ _

__"Lupin, this is Potter, your escort," the general said._ _

__Potter chuckled, his eyes staying on Teddy and replied, "Escort? Is this a dick sucking sort of deal? Personally I've nothing against that but if these are the sort of missions I'm being sent on now –"_ _

__"Shut up, Potter," snapped the colonel, rolling her eyes._ _

__Potter winked at Teddy, who couldn't stop laughing despite himself._ _

__"Finish up," the general barked. "You've ten minutes." He ushered everyone else out of the room leaving Teddy and Potter alone._ _

__Teddy felt suddenly shy, fiddling with his boots much more than was necessary. Teddy couldn't help but look up and he saw that Potter was looking at him as well. They both looked away quickly but Teddy desperately wanted to look again. Teddy dared a glance from under lowered lashes at Potter who was now pre-occupied with his uniform. He was going through every pocket, looking at the gear like he had never seen it before. He pulled out his armour-piercing knife and seemed rather taken with it, opening and closing it repeatedly._ _

__Teddy stood, now openly watching Potter play with the knife. This didn't seem like nerves, or some sort of pre-combat ritual. It was the open fascination of a new toy. "Have you done this before?"_ _

__"What?" Potter said, looking up from testing the point of the knife with the pad of his thumb. "Me? Sure loads of times. This is my speciality."_ _

__Teddy raised his brows at him and asked, "Your speciality, Potter?"_ _

__"Missions that portend certain death. Hopeless. Insane to even consider. I'm quite good at it. You can trust me." Potter flipped the knife closed and slid it smoothly into a rear pocket._ _

__"It's James, by the way," he said, extending his hand._ _

__Teddy took the proffered hand but a little confused, it was a rarity he called a fellow military man by anything but his surname. But then their eyes met and, in the time it took them to blink, Teddy felt his world shift. James's eyes glowed brown and gold, his black eyelashes intensifying the gaze. James's eyes searched Teddy’s face and Teddy had the uncanny feeling that James needed something from him. Teddy had no idea what James wanted but he wanted to give it all to him._ _

__Teddy pulled away from the grip, despite himself. "It's..er..Teddy. My name I mean."_ _

__James nodded back and, for a brief moment he looked like he might be sick. He scrubbed a hand through his hair, shaking his head and brightened again at once. "Hey, would you look at that," James said, slapping Teddy on the shoulder. He turned, pointing to the insignia on his chest. "I outrank you. You can call me 'sir'."_ _

__"That's not going to happen," Teddy said dryly._ _

__"If we’re lucky, it will. Come on, let's get this over with so we can get home."_ _

____

&&

Teddy liked the open door of the helicopter; the rush of air across his face soothed his nerves as they sped towards the city.

The co-pilot waved to Teddy and James, holding up an open hand to show they were five minutes out. Teddy turned his eyes to James to see that he was staring openly at him. He didn't seem to mind at all that Teddy had caught him at it. He nodded at Teddy and slowly leaned to the side to look past Teddy at the gunner. His eyes widened for a moment and he looked taken aback. Teddy turned to see what had alarmed James and saw nothing. The gunner sat, one hand placed on his gun, the other on the edge of the door, scanning the area for any potential problems. 

The gunner’s red hair showed beneath his helmet, and the scant shadow of hair across his jaw was a vivid red as well. He had his sleeves pushed up past his elbows, exposing strong forearms that were marked by an equal number of tattoos and burn scars. The man didn't seem to be anyone out of the ordinary, unless being incredibly fit was out the ordinary. Teddy figured James must've recognised him. Teddy was suddenly pricked by jealousy. Why did James recognise the man? What was between them? 

Teddy closed his eyes reminding himself he'd just met James and had absolutely no right to be jealous over anything — including James being surprised to see his fuck buddy. It made sense James hadn't recognised the man right away or introduced him to Teddy, as his face was likely always in James's arse and he probably didn’t even know his name. Teddy told himself he was being a complete idiot and to stop. He opened his eyes and felt his ego blossom when his eyes met James's. 

The helicopter took a wide swing, descending as low as it could safely go. The co-pilot signalled for Teddy and James that it was time to go. They both stood, steadying themselves with a hand on the roof of the helicopter and threw their lines out the open door. With one last look from the co-pilot, they dropped out of the helicopter, repelling down to the safety of the ground. It had been ages since Teddy had done something like this. It was like riding a bike and he descended smoothly, feeding the rope from one hand through his harness. 

They both landed gracefully, unclipped, and ran to the shadow of a building. They took a moment to breath, watching the helicopter speed away. 

"At least we weren't shot at," Teddy said to James, who was checking his gun. 

"How do you know the gunner?" James asked, not looking up from making sure there was a round in the chamber. 

"What?" Teddy heard the question but didn't believe it. 

"The gunner. The ginger bloke. How did you know him?" James demanded.

Teddy laughed, "I saw you staring at him. You know him, not me." 

"He's here because you put him here. Why the hell would you –" James bit off what he was about to say and turned away. 

"I have never seen him before in my life," Teddy said, wondering if James was a bit touched. 

"Sure, whatever. That’s why you have _him_ here to protect you. Let's go." James turned his back on Teddy and pressed himself to the wall of the building creeping forward. 

They moved as quickly as they could towards the centre of the city, using the long shadows of the late afternoon as cover. It was relatively quiet but Teddy could hear the pop of gun fire growing closer. 

"How far?" Teddy asked at one point as James was checking to see if an intersection was clear. 

"We're a kilometre and a half away." 

Teddy looked to the west at the sun hanging low in the sky. They were supposed to make their final push into the embassy during the final prayers of the day. "Can we make it in time?" 

"There's a fixed position there," James said, gesturing to the roof of a building. "His back is to us. But there will be more." 

"It's going to get bad," Teddy said. 

"We have to try," James replied and hurried to their next stop. 

After only making it maybe a quarter of the way, they were penned in by a fire fight in the middle of the street they needed to cross. 

James muttered under his breath as he crouched down and scanned the area. He turned to Teddy who was sweating freely and out of breath under the weight of so much gear. He hadn't been lying to the general; it'd been a long time since he’d done something like this. 

A wicked smile flitted across James's face as he said, "Your face looks like a tomato. You're out of shape, Lupin." 

"Fuck you," Teddy replied without gasping, thankfully. 

James gestured with his chin towards an empty alley and said, "We'll have to go around." They connected to three other alleys and were exiting the last as the gun fire suddenly ceased, silence falling around them. 

"Shit," Teddy and James said at the same time. 

"How far?" Teddy asked as the first strains of prayer echoed across the city. 

"A little less than a kilometre," James said, then marched out from the alley. "Fuck this. Come on Teddy, let's go." 

Teddy followed, wondering at how quickly he’d become as suicidal as James. James walked up to a parked car and proceeded to bash in the window. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Teddy hissed. James ignored him. He pulled open the door then opened the passenger side for Teddy. 

"Get in," James commanded. 

"Are there keys? How are you going to start –"

As if by magic, the pathetic little car buzzed to life. "Cars like me," James said as he shifted the gears and looked over his shoulder. Instead of going back, the car leaped forward, slamming into the car parked in front of them. 

"Jesus, you're going to get us killed!" Teddy yelled, feeling like he might be sick. 

"Stupid fucking Germans and their gears," James grumbled as he shoved the gear shift once again, this time the car complying and they backed up. 

James backed all the way to an intersection and then stopped, putting the car in first. They lurched as James took his foot off the clutch and as he shifted into second and again into third. 

"Have you driven before?" Teddy asked, holding onto his gun for dear life. 

"It's been awhile," James replied as he took a tight corner at a break neck speed. 

Teddy wondered for the first time who the hell this idiot he'd been sent with was. 

The chant of the prayer, laced with the hum of the car echoed in the streets as everything else was silent. James pushed the shitty old car to its limits.

"Come on, come on," James whispered to the car, urging it forward as he weaved almost effortlessly through parked cars, pot-holes, and other detritus in their way. Teddy marvelled for a second at James's reflexes. Then he remembered he hated riding in cars and directed his thoughts elsewhere. 

He looked up, noticing that the number of visible machine gun outposts increased the further they got. He hoped they could make it before prayer ended and, as if h’d jinxed them, an impossible road block loomed right in front of them. 

"Shit," James said, slamming on the brakes. He ground the car into reverse but the moment they started to go back, it suddenly died. "Oh come on, fucker," James said, urging the car as he pumped the gas, trying, absurdly, to start it again without the keys. 

"Fuck!" James yelled, bashing the the steering wheel. "Get out!" he barked at Teddy. They got out and ran full tilt down the street. 

"It's right there," James said, looking at a building surrounded by an iron fence. Teddy could see the British coat of arms on the main entrance. The flag wasn't visible, perhaps it was on the other side. 

They reached the gate, both of them winded and breathing heavily. "A...key?" Teddy said, looking at the lock. "Shoot it? Or jump the fence." 

"I never need a key," James said, pushing the gate open. 

Like the slamming of a door, prayer ended and shots rent the air around them. Several shots hit the fence, making sparks fly. 

Teddy half-turned to see where they were coming from but James pushed his head down. "Get down!" James shouted as he shoved Teddy through the gate. They stumbled together taking cover under the security gate. Shots still cracked through the night air but at least under here, they wouldn't be hit. 

James crouched low, moving to the other end of the security gate, and peeked around it. "We have to move," he said, turning back to Teddy. "They know we're in here. They'll get something better to hit us with." 

"How far to the entrance?" Teddy asked. 

"Twenty metres." 

"Cover?" 

"Not really," James replied but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. James straightened up, slung his gun so it was behind his back and turned to Teddy. "Get over here." 

"What? Why?" Teddy asked, even though he was standing and moving closer to James. 

"Put your gun away." 

"I think –" 

"Closer," James said, grabbing Teddy by the hand till they stood shoulder to shoulder. "Good. We can run, they won't see our boots. It's dark enough." James reached into his jacket, unfurling what looked like water weaved into fabric. It was extraordinary. Teddy had never seen anything like it but he felt like he knew exactly what it was, as impossible as that was. 

James threw it over their heads and, with a hand around Teddy's upper arm, said, "Move. Quick." Teddy saw the fabric go around them but he could see through it as if he were looking through glass. He couldn't even feel it around his body. It was like being draped in liquid silk. By all rights, they should be shot the moment they left the security gate, but Teddy knew they wouldn't be. They moved quickly through the open ground. There were still shots being fired and not one came near them. It felt as if James had doubled the already considerable luck that had always wrapped itself around Teddy like a shield. 

James led them to the door without a problem and once again, he opened it as if by magic. James shoved Teddy through the door as a sickening whistle split across the air and the security gate suddenly exploded. James followed him, slamming the door behind him as another loud whistle ripped over head, closely followed by a second explosion. 

"At least they'll think we're dead," James said, pulling the cloak from around them.

"What the hell is that?" Teddy said as he watched James stuff it back in his jacket. 

"That was a mortar round. Two actually. I thought you'd been in combat before," James said with a grin and clapped Teddy on the shoulder.

"Not that," Teddy snapped. "The thing you threw over us." 

"Oh, that?" James's face might have turned a little pink but it was hard to tell in the dim light. "Something my dad wanted me to bring. Come on, let's find everyone."

&&

James refused to separate to search. "There's only two of us and we're supposed to use radios at a minimum." He also wouldn't use any flash lights; "Might as well put a target on our backs." He wouldn't allow Teddy to call out for anyone; "What if someone else is in here?" James also insisted on being point man going round any corner or into any room first; "You can fix me if I get shot. We're fucked if you get shot."

As they painstakingly cleared the embassy, Teddy couldn't help but wonder again who the fuck this man was. The longer he was with James, the more questions arose. There was no doubt James was capable and knew how to work a mission. He was also oddly familiar with Teddy, bordering on flirting. Teddy wasn't about to complain about the flirting. If he was going to die, he might as well go with a fit bloke coming on to him — it’s only that it didn’t seem to match their situation. James seemed to be going a lot on luck, something Teddy had been accused of himself in the past and now, seeing it in front of him, he understood the raised eyebrows of his former comrades. The locked doors and car were one thing, but that weird thing James threw over them was something else all together. Teddy started to doubt his own eyes. It was twilight, hard to see, maybe it was just a dark cloak and they had moved through shadows. 

Maybe it was Teddy's own luck rubbing off on James. Teddy watched as James peered around a turn on the stairs, his trousers pulling tight across his arse. Teddy could think of something else he'd like to rub off on James. 

James stepped quietly up the next flight then stopped suddenly. He said, without looking at Teddy, "First victim." 

Teddy ran the rest of the way up the stairs, taking two at a time, desperate to help. 

"Teddy, no –" James said, trying to grab him as Teddy ran past. Teddy shook off James’ grip. This person needed help. 

Teddy saw the hand first, then the leg at a very wrong angle, and finally her extremely pale face. Her eyes fluttered open as Teddy's hand touched her neck to check her pulse and Teddy felt himself take a huge sigh of relief. 

"We're here to help," Teddy said as her pulse beat quickly under his fingers.

James came into view, crouching on the other side of the woman. He removed his helmet, his hair every bit as mad as Teddy recalled from before, and Teddy felt sudden pang of tenderness at the sight.

"Can you tell me your name?" Teddy said, turning back to the woman. Her eyes fluttered closed again and she whispered so quietly that Teddy didn't hear. "I'm sorry. I didn't –" 

She whispered again and this time James put his head lower next to hers. "It's Louisa," James said straightening up. 

"Can you tell me where it hurts?" Teddy said as he moved his hands down to her abdomen. 

"My leg," she said a little louder. "Everywhere." 

Teddy's attention went to the wonky leg and he took out his knife. "I'm cutting your trousers a bit, but don't worry, James will buy you a new pair," Teddy said lightly. James rolled his eyes in reply.

"Try and relax," James said, taking Louisa's hand. "Teddy's a great Healer. He'll be able to help and we'll get you out of here." 

"Louisa, this is going to hurt for a minute then it'll feel better." She nodded bravely and rolled her lower lip into her mouth. 

"Don't do that, love," James said touching her lower lip. "Don't want to have to stitch you up as well. Grit your teeth instead." 

She tried to laugh as Teddy concentrated on moving the two pieces of the tibia back together. It didn't matter that he only had the emergency lights to see by, he could set a bone by feeling it. The two pieces moved back into place easily enough. Luckily the swelling wasn't so bad, yet. 

"There," Teddy said, looking up only to see that Louisa had passed out.. 

"Is that normal?" James asked, looking down at Louisa. 

"In her case? Yes," Teddy said. "It's OK, she's coming around." Teddy took out a bandage to wrap the leg with. He'd have to find something to make a splint.

"You did great," Teddy said . "Tell me where else it hurts. And try not to move your head." 

James stood up and put his helmet back on. "You got this?" he asked Teddy. Teddy nodded and looked back at his patient. "I'm going to look for others. Radio if you need me and don't leave here."

Teddy busied himself, breaking a chair to use the railings for a splint, and caring for Louisa. His every sense was attuned to any hint that James was in trouble but other than the occasional spray of gun fire outside, it was relatively quiet. 

Teddy was ripping the top off a table to use as a board to move Louisa when James showed back up. 

"That looks like a priceless antique," James said, watching Teddy viciously kick the remaining leg from it. 

"They can take it out of my pay," Teddy replied, panting. As delicate as it was, James was probably right, Teddy was destroying an irreplaceable heirloom, but it was the best he could find. 

"There's no one else here," James said, taking the broken bits of the table and throwing them in a pile. 

"What? They said ten unaccounted for." 

"They might be unaccounted for, but they’re not here. We have one we can help now." 

Teddy huffed and brought his makeshift back board over to Louisa. 

"How is she?" James asked. 

"Awful," Louisa croaked from the floor. 

Teddy gently touched her shoulder. "We'll get you moved and then I have medicine I can give you to help with the pain." 

Louisa closed her eyes, swallowing and nodding. 

"The leg you know, cuts and bruises obviously, a concussion, and maybe a cracked rib or two," Teddy rattled off to James. "You'll have to support her head while we roll her onto the board, then we can bandage her head to stabilise her spine." 

"Right. We'll go to the basement," James said. "I went down there. If the fire fight starts again there aren't many windows, it's fairly secure. There's a door we can escape through when the calvary comes, so we won't have to move Louisa too much." 

"There’s calvary? When are they coming?" Teddy asked. 

"Hell if I know," James shrugged. "Morning prayer is my guess. I'll radio after we get settled."

&&

Louisa definitely had a concussion. She couldn't remember how she got to work today, or the date, or various other questions Teddy asked her. She was calm enough, which could probably be put down to a bit of shock. Teddy had sent James back through the embassy to find bags, coats, or anything else to keep her comfortable and warm.

Once she was settled Teddy gave her a small dose of morphine and phenergan to help her relax. It only took a few moments before she had fallen asleep. After checking her pulse one more time, Teddy stood and went over to the wall where James had taken a seat. It had a clear view of the stairway and the door where they could exit. 

"How is she?" James asked as Teddy sat down next to him. 

"Given the circumstances..." Teddy shrugged, completing the thought. "She's asleep now, probably needs that more than anything." 

"Her injuries?" 

"They're as stable as they can be right now but I'm worried about the bruising and inflammation of her trapezius." 

"Bruising to her whatsee-us?" James asked. 

"Trap-ee-z-us," Teddy said slowly. 

"Whatever you say," James said, shaking his head. 

"It's these muscles here," Teddy reaching over to James and touching the area where his neck and shoulders met. James was warm under Teddy's touch, his body firm, Teddy gently moved his thumb feeling the short hairs on James's neck rise. 

James turned towards Teddy and asked, "Only there?" 

"They...um...they go all the way down your back." Teddy licked his lips, they felt suddenly dry with the way James was looking at him. He was looking at Teddy intently, no smile but his eyes soft, studying Teddy. "The shape of them, it's why they're called trapezius. It's Latin –" 

James leaned in, kissing Teddy and cutting off Teddy's nervous babbling. James turned more towards Teddy, rising up on his knees and pulling Teddy with him so he could kiss him deeper. 

Teddy flicked his tongue across James's, teasing it so he would press it into his mouth. They kissed desperately like they'd been waiting all day to do this. 

James's hands fell to Teddy’s jacket, unsnapping the buttons. Teddy's hands went to James's, stopping him. Teddy looked over James's shoulder at the sleeping shape of Louisa. He felt disoriented — he’d never behaved like this on a mission and he’d never felt such an instant pull to a man as he had to James, from the moment they’d met. 

James turned his head, following Teddy's gaze. "She's asleep, right?" James asked, turning back to Teddy. 

"Yeah. She won't wake up for a bit, maybe. But we're –" Teddy didn't know what to say. They were on a mission but nothing could be done now. Louisa was as fine as he could get her right now but she might still wake, and James, Teddy barely knew him. This was madness, this was completely mental. 

Teddy tried again, "But we're –" 

"We're going to have to be quiet," James said, with a glint in his eyes that made all the blood in Teddy's head go straight to his cock. 

James pushed Teddy's jacket away, stopping short at the body armour Teddy wore. James yanked at the velcro on the sides and Teddy pulled it over his head, throwing it away. Teddy grabbed for James, moving his hands across James's chest and waist, noticing James didn't have body armour on himself as his hands settled on James's hips. James's hand slid through Teddy's hair, holding him close while he reached for the hem of Teddy’s shirt. For the briefest moment Teddy felt self-conscious: James had the physique of someone who ran their nineteen miles a week, could swim continuously for 45 minutes, and did their sit-ups, pull-ups, and press-ups. Teddy wasn't totally out of shape, but he enjoyed biscuits with his tea every afternoon and he wasn't exactly keeping up the training regimen from his time in the army. All worries left his mind as James's fingertips flitted across Teddy's skin and he ground his hips against Teddy's. The hard press of James's erection was enough for Teddy to know James liked him fine. 

James leaned in hard against Teddy, pushing him back till he was lying down. James knelt between Teddy's legs, undoing Teddy's belt. 

"Fuck," James groaned. "You want this?" 

Teddy took James's hands from his belt and pressed them to his cock. Yeah, he wanted this. James groaned again and quickly undid his own belt as Teddy shimmied out of his trousers and pants. 

James's trousers were hardly below his hips and Teddy only got a glimpse of his dick before James was lying on top of him, rubbing their dicks together. 

"Fuck, I've wanted this all day," James panted in Teddy's ear. Teddy thrust his hips forward to make the most of every delicious slide of James's silken cock along his. "God, fuck," James whispered thrusting faster. He buried his face in the crook of Teddy's neck, kissing Teddy, flicking his tongue across his skin. "God, your taste. It's…I’ve missed –" James's thrusts became erratic. 

"Slow," Teddy whispered, grabbing James's arse trying to control the movements, he wanted so much more than a manic frot on the ground. 

"Can't –" James said, "Want you..." and suddenly he was coming, his cock pulsing against Teddy. His heat, his come, washing over Teddy's skin. Teddy rolled his hips riding out James's orgasm.

Watching James all day, Teddy would've never guessed James was the sort to come in minutes. He gave off the vibe of someone who’d be in control, make you wait, and keep you coming back for more. 

James kissed Teddy quickly on the mouth, then slid down and across his body, pushing up Teddy's shirt so he could lick a path from his sternum to navel. Teddy's cock ached with need as James pressed his tongue across Teddy's skin, licking off every last drop of come. 

"Your turn," James said, glancing up at Teddy before taking Teddy's cock into his mouth and sucking ever lower down the shaft. He began bobbing his head, his lips tight as his tongue flicked and pressed along the back of Teddy’s dick. 

"Fuck," Teddy murmured and James brought a hand to Teddy's bollocks pressing to them just enough. Jesus, Teddy liked that. He couldn't help but roll his hips in time with James's head. 

Teddy lifted his head and watched James bob up and down on his cock. "Fuck, I like how that looks," Teddy said. 

James laughed silently and started moving faster. Teddy gave an experimental hard thrust of his hips and James moaned with satisfaction. With a flick of his eyes, James let Teddy know he could do as he wanted and it felt like James already knew exactly what Teddy wanted. 

Teddy brought one hand down on the back of James's head. Pushing it down just enough, he thrust harder and faster till he was riding James's face. James moaned again and wrapped one hand around Teddy's cock, extending the hot, slick slide of his mouth and moved even faster. 

"Yeah, like that," Teddy said, fucking faster and faster between James's lips. 

Teddy’s balls drew up tight and he could feel himself ready, "I'm going to –" but James didn't stop. He moved his hand from Teddy's balls and pushed a finger into Teddy's arse. Teddy bit his lip, trying not to cry-out as his orgasm took him and he snapped his hips over and over, his entire body releasing in pleasure as James swallowed around him. 

Teddy's cock pulsed a few more times after his release as James gently slid his mouth off Teddy's cock. 

"I didn't expect that." Teddy chuckled softly as James brought his head up and laid it on Teddy's stomach. 

"That I give good head?" James asked. 

"That you'd give me head," Teddy replied. 

James turned his head, grinning at Teddy. "Of course I'd give you head. I don't think you've seen yourself." 

"When we met, I thought it'd be the other way." 

"You wanted to suck me off, Lupin?" James teased. Teddy loved that he could hear the smile even in his hushed voice.

"From the moment I met you," Teddy admitted, though he couldn't say why he felt so comfortable telling James such a thing. He hardly knew him and he felt like he could trust James with his deepest, darkest secrets. 

"I won then because that's what I've wanted all day, too," James said, giving Teddy a fond look that warmed Teddy to his core. 

Teddy shook his head at him thinking that no, he had won. James had taken him in exactly the way Teddy liked: dirty and confident. 

James slowly lifted himself off Teddy and pulled his trousers back up. They both put themselves back together, giving each other small glances as they did. Usually Teddy would've felt awkward after something like this happening – not that he'd ever been blown while on a mission – but encounters with someone you hardly knew could be uncomfortable when it was over. It wasn't like that with James. Teddy felt like they could have a completely normal conversation and go on working together without missing a beat. 

"You want to go check her?" James said as he patted his pockets down. "I need to check the windows and exits." 

Teddy nodded, looking at Louisa. Hefelt the brush of James's hand as he moved towards a bank of windows. 

Teddy took out his small torch and checked Louisa's colour and pulse – both good. He covertly watched James move about the room. Tall and long-limbed, Teddy could get used to that. James was probably gangly and overly skinny as a teenager. For some reason Teddy thought James should be wearing glasses. Teddy smiled, amused at the thought. No matter what James had been like as a teenager, he'd grown to look very good. 

James stopped at the base of the stairs and indicated that he was going up. It wasn’t until he returned that Teddy realised he was anxious the entire time James was gone, which could only have been a few minutes. 

James walked past Teddy jerking his head at Teddy to follow him. Giving Louisa one last look, Teddy stood and stepped close to James. 

"She'll be able to be moved easily?" James whispered. 

Teddy snorted and said, "If they don't leave us here to rot." The fire fight outside had not let up despite the darkness, the occasional blasts still heavy in the air. 

"They won't," James assured. "I messaged a contact of mine. He'll help if we need it." 

"How'd you do that?" Teddy said, turning to James in surprise. 

James reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a mobile phone. "Found this upstairs so I availed myself of it." 

"And you remembered your contact's number?" Teddy asked sceptically. 

"Pffft, of course. I never leave everything up to command. They've left me in a pinch more than once." 

Teddy chuckled and said, "You work for the government and you sound like you don't trust them." 

James laughed to himself. "My father's son I guess."

"What does your father do?" Teddy asked, curious what James's life was like. 

"Works for the government, like me," James replied dryly. 

"Like _us_ you mean," Teddy said. 

"I reckon at the moment, yes. You don't usually do that, do you?" They got to the wall and James sat down against it, indicating he wanted Teddy to sit with him. 

"Not any more," Teddy replied as he sat. "Now I'm a surgeon. Orthopaedic surgeon." 

James brow furrowed and he said, "Like bones and shit?" 

Teddy smile, "Yes. Like bones and joints. Shit is something I generally don't have to deal with." 

"How did you get tapped for this mission, Mr Lupin?" asked James, nudging Teddy's leg. 

"I was special forces for five years and it wasn't for me. I got out of the army when my time was up and went back to school to be a doctor. I was told they needed someone with more medical training to go on the mission and I was it." 

"Because they figured once special forces always special forces," said James. 

"I suppose that's so. I don't really have a family so maybe they thought I was expendable," Teddy said with a shrug. 

"No family?" asked James, sounding more confused than Teddy though is statement warranted. 

"Yeah," Teddy replied. "It's only my gran and me. My mum and dad died when I was little and that was it." 

"Do you remember your parents?" 

"My mum, no. My dad had glasses, black hair, and he was kind. I remember his smile and eyes mostly. Green, unmistakably so, and full of humour. His name was Harry." 

James turned away from Teddy, rubbing a hand across his face. He didn't look back at Teddy as he asked, "Harry Lupin? That's your dad. What's your middle name? Do you have one?" 

"It's Remus," Teddy replied, even though James's reactions and this line of questions were confusing him. 

"That's a unique name, don't you think?" asked James, sounding a little on edge. 

"I suppose I never thought about it. It was for my great-uncle." 

"Your great-uncle?" 

"Remus Lupin, yeah. He died in the Battle of the Somme. He was a warrior. My parents wanted to honour him I guess. I've seen his photo at my gran's." 

"Your mum's mum. That's who raised you? She has a photo from your dad's side?" James said, sounding incredulous.

"In a box. My dad's family is all gone. I'm the last Lupin." 

"At least that's right," James muttered. 

"Huh?" 

James huffed and moved to crouch right in front of Teddy, looking so intently in his eyes that it was a little disquieting. 

"Have you ever felt uncomfortable being you?" James's voice was deep and soft. James held up a hand keeping Teddy from speaking. "I don't mean like teenager awkward. I mean like you didn't belong here. That something about your situation was wrong?" 

Teddy didn't answer. He stared at James, that's all he could do. He had never before heard his own feelings articulated this way. 

"People like you," James went on, "but you're different. You can make things happen, you can heal people who should've died, you can disappear in a crowd, your life...your _safety_ feels charmed. I bet loads of people always wanted you on their team when you were in the army. Luck followed you."

Teddy's throat was dry, his heart beat quickened, he could feel his own pulse racing. He was scared and it took all his courage to ask James, "How do you know that?" 

"Magic, do you believe in it?" 

The moment was too serious for Teddy to even consider James might be joking. 

"Magic, how?"

This seemed to stump James for a moment, his brow furrowing. He took a breath and then he answered, "Magic like you fell from a great height and didn't break a thing, magic like you looked at an otherwise hopeless situation and changed it, magic that you can feel deep inside you in those quiet moments that you can will it out of yourself. Magic like a wizard." 

"Like Gandalf?" 

"Er...whoever he is. I mean like you." 

"Me?" Teddy asked. 

"Me too." 

"Are you full of shit?" Teddy asked, sitting up straighter. 

"I’ve been told I am, but not about this. The car, the gate, searching the embassy so quickly, the Invisibility Cloak. All magic." 

"You said the cloak was your dad's," replied Teddy, grasping onto the only thing that felt real in this moment.. 

"It is," James assured him. "Doesn't make it any less magic." 

Teddy looked down, away from James. His mind told him this was ludicrous, completely daft, but a part of him believed it. The things James had said, pointed out all made perfect sense to Teddy. It was as James, who he hardly knew, had explained Teddy to himself, had told him something he’d always known.

"How would you know I'm magic?" asked Teddy. Teddy had never confided in anyone about how he felt, about his weird luck, and James knew it all. 

"I know you really well, Teddy," James said rather smugly. 

"No, you don't." 

James's grin spread. "I could make you blush with the things I know about you." James placed a hand on Teddy's thigh. It felt good, but he didn't want that right now. 

"Stop." Teddy brushed his hand away. "We aren't doing that until you say 'April Fool' or something." 

"It's February." 

"I know it's February!" 

"Then I must be telling the truth." 

“You can’t be telling the truth. This is mad, and I’d know before now.”

James crossed his legs, sitting in front of Teddy, and explained rather calmly, "You've been a wizard your entire life. You were born one, and everyone knew it pretty quickly. Your mum, your dad they were magic, too. Your entire world is. You went to wizarding school, you had wizarding jobs, you had a wizarding life. Then you came here, to this place." James gestured to the dank basement, looking a little disgusted. "I'm here to get you back." 

"Back to where exactly?" 

"The real world. This is a figment." 

"Feels pretty real to me," Teddy shot back. 

"It does. I'm pretty impressed with that. It's very strong magic." 

"This world is magic?" Teddy deadpanned. 

"In as much as it's made by magic, your magic. It's not real." 

"If it's not real then how the hell did I end up here?" Teddy demanded. 

James scooted forward slightly and gently touched Teddy's hand. "Your gran, her name is Andromeda? It's always just been her and you. She loves you very much and you love her, is my guess." 

"Yes," Teddy whispered around a lump that had formed in his throat. 

"She was a witch, magic just like you. She loved you and raised you. She died.." 

"She's not dead," Teddy said, pulling his hand away. "I talked to her only this morning." 

"And when was the last time you saw her?" asked James very gently. 

"It's been...that is, I have been..." Teddy racked his brain trying to think when he had seen Gran last. It had to be Christmas but for some reason he couldn't recall for sure. 

"She was very ill for a long while Teddy. A lot of people think she hung on for so long because she loved you so much and it was hard to leave you." 

"She's not dead!" 

"When a witch or wizard dies, their magic doesn't die. It...I don't know. The Unspeakable explained it and I was a bit lost to be honest. It becomes part of the magic that surrounds us. Magic is infinite. It returns to the universe or something like that. Your gran, Andromeda, when she died, her magic didn't return to the universe. It clung to you, pulling you here to this place where you can believe she’s still alive." 

"That is bullshit." Teddy tried to think of his gran, tried to pull an image up in his mind, but it was so much harder than he thought. He felt horribly guilty because he couldn't see her face or remember when he’d last had tea with her. 

"Are you angry because you think I'm lying or angry because you've realised she's gone?" Teddy shot a look at James, half-tempted to hit him for reading his mind. "If you're angry because you think I’m lying to you, why aren’t you denying it? If you believe me, and your only now learning that she’s gone, why aren’t you more shocked? You know I’m telling the truth, Teddy.”" 

"Shut up!" James was right. Teddy didn’t think James was lying and he wasn’t shocked that his gran was gone. He was fucking angry as hell that James kept speaking his thoughts back to him as if he could read Teddy’s mind. He stood up quickly, wanting to get away from James, to run away, but he also wanted to know. He settled for pacing.

"She died. You knew it was happening," James said as he stood slowly. "You were ready for it. We've had the funeral, the tea afterwards. You buried her where she wanted, next to your mum. You cried a lot then, so don't feel bad that you can't now. And then, then this happened." James gave a small shrug and a twist of his mouth looking around. 

"Nothing has happened," Teddy replied stubbornly. He turned and said angrily to James, "You want me to believe I belong somewhere else. A place where I have no family left. Nothing is there for me." 

"Do you really believe that?" asked James. James was so cool, so easy with his words that it gave Teddy pause. He started searching his mind, searching his soul. Did he really feel like he was all alone in the world? No. He hadn't felt like that, ever. Before he could reply, James spoke for Teddy. "I can tell you don't feel alone. It's because you're not. Your parents are gone, like you knew, Andromeda did raise you, but so did someone else. You have a godfather and he loves you very much and he treated you like his own son. And he has kids, and they have cousins and aunts and uncles and that family is your family. You’ve always be part of that family." 

"My godfather. I've always had one, his name is –" Teddy's mind suddenly went blank and he couldn't for the life of him explain why. 

"Your godfather, he has green eyes, glasses, black hair that looks like mine. A mess. His name is Harry." 

"No, I told you, that was my dad." 

"No, your dad was Remus Lupin. The uncle you said died at the Somme. He was your real dad and he was a war hero like you think he was. He died in a great magical battle. When you came here your brain had to support the illusion and so you've mixed and placed people in different roles to help you understand. It's why you made Harry your dad because in your heart he's as good as." 

"And he's alive?" Teddy asked, struggling to make sense of this. 

"He is. Waiting for you to come back. Anxious as hell about it," James said dismissively, with a bit of a shrug. 

"Do other people want me back?"

"Everyone wants you back. The entire Ministry has been working day and night since you came here trying to figure out what has happened." 

"The entire –" 

"Ministry. Yeah, long story. I can explain who they are later. But just know it's a huge group effort." 

Teddy scrubbed his hands through his hair. His head hurt. "So this world isn't real and I've replaced people in it with other people I know?" 

"Yeah, a bit. Not everyone, but the ones you interact with a lot. Do you know a lot of gingers? Do you know a smart arse with glasses and green eyes? The large, bald bloke, the general? He's the head of the magical government so making him a general in your head makes sense. And the colonel, she's my aunt. She's bossy as hell and knows everything. The ginger in the helicopter? That's my sodding uncle Charlie." 

"You don't like him?" Teddy asked, confused. 

"I did until I saw him there. You put him in a position to watch over you and I want to know why the hell Uncle Charlie would be that for you." James looked at Teddy suddenly angry. 

Teddy threw his hands up, trying to keep quiet but he couldn't help it. "Don't look at me like that! I don't know him and I don't know why he's here!" 

"You know him and I'm not going forget about this. If you fucked him –" James bit his lip, looking away. 

"I don't think I've fucked him," Teddy said slowly. "I didn't feel attracted to him in that way." 

"Jesus ,fuck Teddy, everyone's attracted to him," James said with a huff. 

James looked like he was going to pout for a good long while but Teddy wasn't going to let him, he had too many questions. "The er...cloak. Your dad's? Who's he?" 

James snorted, "Harry. That's my dad. Your godfather." 

"That's how I know you, then. If you’re my godfather’s son — Christ, my head hurts — I've probably been around you loads." 

"You could say that," James said with a huff. "And Albus and Lily, that's my brother and sister. You know them, too." 

"I know an Albus here. He's blond, a toff." 

James chortled, sounding like he was coming around from his anger over this supposed Charlie thing. "You put the wrong name with the person but you know someone like that, too. You probably know someone here with every name I could say." 

"I don't know a James," Teddy said, racking his brain to think if he knew a James. It was a common enough name. He should know a James. 

"My aunt told me you might not have me here. I didn’t believe it. Do you have a boyfriend? Someone special? Don't worry I won't feel bad about blowing you if you say yes, and I won’t kill him," James said in the a rush in response to Teddy’s obviously confused expression. 

"I...er...I know I've had boyfriends but I can't think of any right now. I wouldn't have let you do that to me if there was someone else. I'm not that way." 

"I know you're not that way but you would've let _me_." 

"Why you?" 

"Because I'm your actual boyfriend." James's grin was so huge as he said this that his teeth flashed despite the very dim light. 

Teddy's mouth gaped slightly. "You? My godfather's son?" 

"Sure am. You've known me my entire life but that didn't stop you from blowing me on my seventeenth birthday." 

"I did not do that," Teddy said, shocked. 

"You did. Right after you fucked me in my own bed, in my parents's house. You went after my arse, then sucked me off. It was fantastic." James looked brightly at Teddy but Teddy couldn't return the look. His face felt hot. He had no trouble believing he would want to do that to James. 

"We've been together since you were seventeen?" 

"Er, no. Another long story. Only since I was about twenty-one, so almost two years." 

"So pretty serious then?" Teddy asked but the question didn't require an answer. "James, why, if you're so important to me, didn't I fill you into my life here?" 

It was James's turn to blush. He shifted from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable, and replied haltingly, "They said...those Unspeakables...that...they said you loved me enough that your heart wouldn't let your mind fill in the gap." 

"If I was with you for two years, then I assume that I love you very much. Why do you look uncomfortable telling me that?" 

"Because," James closed his eyes and said softly, "Because I want you to love me because you feel it not because I tell you that you do." 

Teddy felt his heart clench at the sight of James looking so vulnerable. He let his mind stop thinking and listened to what his heart was telling him. If it was his heart that knew James, loved James, then it was his heart he should let lead him. Teddy stepped close to James and touched his face very gently. "Jamie," he said, the name coming unbidden from his lips. 

James's eyes opened slowly as Teddy leaned in, kissing him. The kiss was gentle; soft lips, delicate touches of the tongue. It wasn’t raw and hungry like before but it was desperate, curious in its own way. 

"Jamie?" Teddy said the name again. It felt right. James brushed his lips against Teddy's. Teddy flicked his tongue to touch James's and then moved to kiss the shell of his ear, down James's neck, taking in the salt of his skin. James gripped Teddy's hair, moaning at the brush of Teddy's lips. "Jamie," Teddy said again, bringing his gaze up to meet James's. "Tell me about the first time." 

James blinked as if he didn’t understand what Teddy wanted. He cleared his throat and said, "The first time we kissed? Or the first time you couldn't resist me?" 

Teddy pushed his mouth to James's, cutting off whatever he was going to say with a small nibble of James's lips. James gasped slightly and gripped Teddy's jacket, holding him close. 

"The one you said. Your birthday," Teddy said, pulling away a little so he could see James. 

"Right." James worried his lower lip, clearly thinking. 

"You don't remember?" asked Teddy, impatient. 

James gave Teddy a straight look. "I remember every detail. Deciding where to start." 

"It was your seventeenth birthday..." Teddy prompted.

"OK. I...er...it was an important birthday." James leaned against the wall, tucking his hands behind him. "I came of age, that's a big deal for wizards. There was a family party and then we went to the pub. It wasn’t only you and me, but with a bunch of my older cousins as well. We met some friends there. I mostly went because I could and I wanted to rub it in Al's face. You told me you were coming because someone had to chaperone. My cousins...they're..." James laughed to himself, "It's safe to say the group of us likely needed someone to watch us. You kept us from going to the Hogshead and kept us to the Leaky Cauldron. Somewhere safe." 

Teddy smiled because he could somehow imagine teenage James being a handful and then some. 

"We were there for a bit. I didn't get too pissed. I mostly went for a laugh and to use magic in public every chance I got. Can't use magic outside of school till seventeen. Anyway, I had to go to the loo and when I was walking there, I passed you. You said, 'How's the whisky tasting?' Hannah, the proprietor makes her own and it's dangerous. I said, 'Good, from what I can tell.' Then you kissed me. We had kissed before, like I said, so I wasn't completely surprised but you'd been ignoring me since I'd come home for summer holidays. It was lovely but then someone was coming so we stopped. You...well we couldn't exactly flirt in front of the family. But you kept glancing at me the rest of the night, touching me when you could." 

Teddy could picture how irresistible giving lingering looks and secret touches to this younger James would have been. The whisky would only have fuelled Teddy's desire for James, he must've worked very hard to keep it hidden. 

"Hannah kicked us out before one. Told me I needed to go home, pushed me into the Floo herself. I went and woke up Dad, told him I was home. He told me to drink some water and go to bed. Went into my room and you were there. I wasn’t really surprised. It was like I half-expected you. I know I was hoping you’d be there."

"What did you look like at seventeen?" asked Teddy. He wanted to know if what he had pictured earlier had been his imagination, or if somewhere inside, he really knew. 

"About two inches shorter and two stone lighter. I was thin and gangly. My hair was a bit shorter, I had just had it cut." Teddy thought maybe he had made up the image of James he’d had in his head. He could've easily deduced any teenage boy would be shorter and less filled out than a man.. "I had glasses at the time. Got my eyes fixed after I left school." 

Teddy felt the blood go out of his face. The glasses, he had seen those, square and black. Oh God, he thought, he remembered James's face. "What happened next?" Teddy whispered anxiously. 

"We didn't say anything. You closed my door, locking it, and you pulled me over to the bed. I stayed standing and you sat; slowly undressing me. You kissed my stomach, you licked my hip bones, you pressed your face to the front of my tented pants. You turned me around and you slipped my pants off. You nibbled across the skin of my arse, and then you spread me, licking me. No one had ever done that before. I thought I was going to come on the spot."

Teddy thought _he_ was going to come on the spot. "Go on," he said, adjusting himself. 

James grinned as he eyes flicked to Teddy's crotch then back up again. "You had me lie on my bed, and you fucked me, slowly. You barely pushed more than the head in for the first few minutes. I had to beg you to push in completely, you were driving me mad. You were so good at it. I would've come in seconds but you...you're more...you're better than me like that. You touched me, kissed me, made sure I felt safe and you slowly rolled your hips. And then, you came, so slowly and so deep, in my arse. I was surprised someone could come without pounding in over and over. I know better now." James winked at Teddy and Teddy felt his face flush. He coughed and reached to hold James's hip. 

"Then, like I said before. You pulled out of me and you blew me. It was so hard and so good it took me days to remember my name." 

Teddy chuckled appreciatively and leaned closer to James. He passed his hand across the front of James's trousers seeing how turned on he was. "And after that?" 

"You waited till I was asleep, passed out, whichever, and you left. I understood. I wasn't upset." 

"What happened after that?" asked Teddy, undoing James's belt. 

James swallowed hard and said, "It's a long story, you'll remember it later. Right now I need you to fuck me again." 

Teddy smiled and cleared his throat, "I er...I don't recall us fucking, exactly." 

Teddy meant the words lightly, only that James had blown him. A shadow fell across James's expression, his jaw was clearly clenched.. 

"I told you," James said, pushing one of Teddy's shoulders against the wall, his hand twisting in Teddy's jacket. "You're mine and we've fucked. More times than I can count. You’ll remember or I’ll make you." 

Teddy felt jarred at the aggressive touch, completely shocked this quiet flirting had turned so quickly. He gripped James's wrist, making sure to squeeze hard with his thumb underneath, putting an almost painful amount of pressure on the underside of the ulna. "It was a joke," Teddy hissed. 

"I'm not laughing." James was so close to Teddy that their foreheads almost touched. 

"I didn't intend to hurt you," Teddy said and he squeezed James's wrist harder despite the words. 

Teddy felt James stand down at his words, could see the air go out of him. "I've been hurting so much," James said in a whisper that Teddy barely heard. He leaned in, brushing his lips against Teddy's tentatively, as if he were afraid that Teddy would reject him. Teddy traced James’s mouth with the tip of his tongue teasing James's lips, and eased his grip on James's wrist. Like so many things about his feelings toward James that Teddy couldn't explain, Teddy desperately wanted to protect James from ever being hurt. 

James brushed his lips against Teddy's again, not sinking into a kiss yet. He traced the outline of Teddy's lips with the tip of his tongue.. Teddy laughed into James's mouth. "I'm not giving in to you until you tell me the rest of the story," he said. 

James looked at Teddy and said, "You'll give in." 

He finally let go of Teddy's shoulder, his hands moving to his waist. James undid his own belt, hastily pulling it off. "Can't conjure cuffs, this will do." Teddy looked at him, bemused. James pulled Teddy to the floor, a slight frown of concentration creasing his face. "Put your hands above your head." The words sounded so comfortable coming from James that Teddy was sure he'd said it many times before. 

"I'm not –" Teddy started to object but James scooted close to him. His knee right between Teddy's thighs, putting pressure on his half-hard cock. 

"You will put your hands over your head." His voice was soft but clearly he would hear no more protest. 

Teddy rolled his lips and gave James a little smirk. He presented one arm to James, silently daring him to do with it what he would. James quickly looped the belt around it, as if Teddy was going pull it away, then reached for the other hand. He tied Teddy's wrists quickly into a complicated knot that there was no way Teddy could possibly undo. 

"Where'd you learn that?" Teddy asked, trying to reckon if it was a figure-eight or a loop. 

"From you," James said, his breath coming fast. "Hands above your head." 

Teddy complied, his hands were barely above his head and James's mouth was on his. Teddy couldn't tease him any more. He was intrigued by this, curious about the way James wanted it from him, and desperate for more. The kiss was rough, hungry. The scrape and bump of teeth, the push of tongues, made Teddy's heart-race and his cock fill. 

James's mouth went to Teddy's neck, tasting him with teeth and tongue. James's hands went to the hem of Teddy's shirt, somehow shoving it up and putting his hands and mouth on Teddy's skin in one motion. He gripped Teddy tightly, almost to the point of pain, but Teddy hardly noticed because of what James was doing with his mouth. He pulled Teddy's right nipple into his mouth, laving it with his tongue. James moved to place his open mouth on Teddy's left nipple, and pinched and rolled the right one, still slick from his mouth, between thumb and forefinger.

James's scraped the edge of his top teeth across Teddy's nipple, making Teddy hiss. Teddy's hands dropped to the base of James's neck, holding him there. Teddy's left nipple was a little more sensitive than his right and it was like James knew that by the way brushed the flat of his tongue against it, worried it between his teeth.

"God," Teddy groaned, pushing his chest hard against James's mouth. He felt a puff of air from James's nose across his skin, maybe it was a laugh. Teddy hoped it was. The idea that his body, his reactions, could give James joy made him even harder. 

James's mouth moved from his nipple, the rough stubble of his chin scraping through the hair on Teddy's chest. James licked across Teddy's pecks, mouth stopping again to suck. Teddy felt the slight edge of James's teeth and suddenly he was biting and sucking hard. 

"Christ! Jamie!" Teddy cried out, holding James's head closer but wiggling under the assault. 

This time Teddy was sure James laughed as he released Teddy's skin from his mouth and dropped his head lower. He worked his way down Teddy’s body, drawing wet slow kisses across his waist, swirling his tongue in Teddy's navel, dragging his bottom teeth across the arch of Teddy's hip bones. 

Teddy groaned, his body awash in gooseflesh at the sensation. 

"You like that," James said, lifting his head, flicking his gaze up to Teddy. "You always groan when I nibble at your iliac crest." 

Teddy chuckled. "How did you know that's what that's called?" 

"You're a bone Healer in our world. You know all the names, like you do here. And when I brush my teeth against that you always squirm and make noises in a way that goes straight to my cock. So I asked you what it was called and you told me." 

"I do like that," Teddy said. 

"I know," James said, dropping his hand between Teddy's legs, cupping his erection. Teddy moaned, rolling up into the touch. He reached to James's wrist with his bound hands, trying to hold him there. 

James stopped groping, pressing into Teddy's cock. He bit his lower lip and said, "I thought I told you to keep your hands above your head." 

"Jamie, I need –" Teddy whined but it got him nowhere. James jerked his hand away sitting back on his heels. 

"Do you know what I need?" James asked, looking down at his jacket and undoing the buttons one by one. 

"Tell me," Teddy said, his throat suddenly very dry. 

James slid the jacket from his shoulders and threw it aside. It landed with a ruffled clunk. "Jesus, that's heavy," James said and pulled his shirt up over his head, discarding that as well. Teddy drank in the strong chest covered with a splay of dark hair, his flat, defined stomach with more dark hair leading down from his navel; James was fit, exactly how Teddy imagined. His eyes went down to James's trousers which were hanging precariously from his hips. He hadn't bothered to put his pants back on after they’d got off before, and even though it was only a missing pair of pants, Teddy thought it was dead erotic to think there was only a bit of trousers between him and James's bulge. 

"What do you need?" Teddy prompted again. 

James looked at him, not taking his eyes from Teddy, as he slid one hand down to the waistband of his trousers and stroked his cock. "What I need –" James started again, but he stopped, overtaken by a sudden moan. He rolled his hips into his hand. Teddy was mesmerised watching the movement of James's fist stroking up and down under his trousers. 

Teddy rocked up to his knees, wanting to get closer to James. It was made harder by his tied up hands. 

"No," James said, giving Teddy a stern look. "Watch me." 

Teddy stopped, despite the bone-deep desire to shove James to the ground and take him. 

James eyes fluttered closed. He bit his lip, moaning as he masturbated with slow, painstaking deliberation. Teddy had never felt this annoyed and turned on at the same time in his entire life. How dare James make him do nothing but watch and how could he ever stop watching? 

"I want –" James said, his breath hitching in a way that echoed in Teddy's chest. James's eyes half-opened and he reached out, undoing the top button of his trousers with his free hand and pulling them slightly down exposing half of his dick. Teddy watched as James's fist came up over the head, twisted and went back down again. 

"I wish I had a dildo. I would lean back, spread my legs wide and fuck myself with it while you watched."

"Let me fuck you," Teddy said, sounding every bit as desperate as he felt. 

"I'd like to make you wait longer," James said. "Make you wait till you're begging me, wait until you're almost choking on your desperation. It's what you do to me." 

"Is it?" Teddy said, honestly curious even as he knew that that’s exactly what he’d like to do to James. Fuck, he’d enjoy having him spread out on his bed, fucking himself like a whore, begging for Teddy to enter him. 

"You do all sorts of things to me," James replied but in an off-handed way. His hand suddenly stopped. "God, I'm leaking already." He stood, pulling his trousers and boots off all the way. As he stepped closer to Teddy, Teddy's gaze traced a path up his long, knobby-kneed legs, to his hard cock, bobbing proudly as James moved. Teddy lifted his chin, looking at James in the eye. 

"Lie back," James said. He knelt and pushed Teddy's chest till he was lying on the cold, hard floor. "Hands above your head," he said, jerking Teddy's trousers, pants, and boots off. 

"You never told me what you want," Teddy said. James stopped by his feet, giving Teddy a wicked grin. He dropped his head and licked a slow path on the inside of Teddy's right ankle, all the way up to his inner thigh, till he reached Teddy's balls. 

"I want this," he murmured before slowly sucking each of Teddy's bollocks in turn. Teddy cried out, arching into James's mouth. 

James pulled his mouth away and asked, "You want to fuck my face again?" 

"Yes," Teddy said, remembering how good that had felt. “No!” Teddy added, his head clearing enough for him to remember what he really wanted. 

James knelt between Teddy's spread legs, putting his hands to Teddy's hips, holding him flat. "I can conjure ropes, tie you down, if you can't control yourself. Fuck you how I want, maybe make you come if I want." 

"God, no, please," Teddy begged. His cock throbbed, aching for attention. He rolled his head to the side, suddenly catching a glance of the sleeping mound that was his patient. His head snapped back to James. "Hurry, she'll wake up," Teddy pleaded. 

"Hush," James said, straddling Teddy's ribs and sitting on him. Teddy's cock pushed into James's lower back, and James's beautiful cock was inches from Teddy's mouth. He didn't know what he wanted or needed more. "She won't wake up." James looked over his shoulder and extended a hand. Silently, from James's jacket flew a long, thin piece of wood that James caught expertly. 

James twirled it between his fingers, looking down at Teddy. "Want me to put a spell on her? I can make her sleep. She won't wake up no matter how much you cry out." 

"You can what?" Teddy asked. 

"I can do the ropes, like I said." James dropped the point of the piece of wood to Teddy's sternum. "But I think...I'll settle for this." Teddy's shirt vanished in a blink, as if he hadn't been wearing one at all. "And this." James pointed the stick at his palm and it filled with something clear and slick-looking. James tossed the wood aside, gave Teddy a devilish smile that Teddy seemed to be powerless against, and reached behind him taking, Teddy's cock in his lube-slicked hand. 

Teddy shuddered at the touch of James's hand, finally on his cock. He moaned desperately, arching his back. 

"Hold still," James said. He leaned down kissing Teddy quickly, then bit his lower-lip hard before sitting back up. 

He moved back so he was inches above Teddy's cock. Teddy could feel the heat of James's entrance. His cock pulsed at the thought, and finally, James lowered himself onto it. The head pushed through the first tight ring of muscle and Teddy cried out, pushing his hips up. 

"Hold still," James said again, this time with an edge. Teddy watched him, dark and beautiful, above him. There was a power to James. It wasn't the way he had made Teddy's shirt disappear, or managed the locked doors, or even the way he slicked Teddy's cock. It was a raw power he had over Teddy, something from deep inside that almost controlled Teddy, that Teddy wanted to fight against and yield to at the same time. He wanted to do what James said, wanted to hold very, very still. He wanted to roll James over and fuck him and come in ten seconds flat. 

James lowered himself a little more and Teddy cried out again, forcing himself to hold still. "Good," James whispered and he continued to sink down slowly until Teddy's cock was fully in him. James was so slick and hot that Teddy could think of nothing else. Teddy felt so connected to his body, connected to the way James rolled his hips, connected to the way they moved in a rhythm together, connected so that all boundaries and time melted away. All that existed was Teddy with James, giving pleasure, receiving pleasure. The rough edges of their foreplay softened to a secret intimacy that was impossibly familiar. 

"Teddy, I need," James said, sounding desperate for the first time. 

"Jamie," Teddy whispered. "Tell me." 

"Touch me," James pleaded, arching his back and riding Teddy harder, deeper. 

Teddy snapped his hips, just so, hitting that spot that he knew would drive James mad. He did it again when James cried out, and again one more time. "Do I have your permission?" Teddy said, lifting his bound hands and wiggling them. 

"Merlin, fuck, yes," James moaned.

Teddy brought his hands down, holding James's cock in both of them. He was leaking freely now, whimpering as he rode Teddy balls deep. He watched James, with his mad hair, pupils blown wide with pleasure under heavy eyelids. He watched the ripple and twitch of James's muscles aching for release. He watched James's Adam's apple bob as he threw his head back and cried out. His cock pulsed hard in Teddy's hands again and again as he came. 

James's arse clenched on Teddy's cock. Teddy thrust hard, as deep as he could. He came inside James, his back bowing. He cried out as he emptied himself into James, rolling his hips and thrusting slowly until he filled James with every last drop of come. 

James collapsed onto Teddy, kissing along his neck, kissing his ear and his hair in a way that was no less intimate than what they had just done. He gently rolled off Teddy, staying close to his side. James reached behind himself for something. He brought the piece of wood back up, pointed it at the belt tying Teddy's hands and it suddenly fell away as if it had never been tied at all. 

Teddy looked at his wrist curiously. A wizard. Teddy wasn't as amazed by that as he was at the feelings he had for the man next to him. They were more real than magic, they were as real as the flesh on Teddy's bones. They belonged to each other. 

Teddy ran his hand through James's hair. Letting the thick strands wrap and play around his fingers. 

"Is it...is it always like that?" Teddy asked tentatively. 

He felt James shrug against him. "Mostly. Sometimes you want me to fuck you, but usually it's like that." 

Teddy thought about James above him and his thick cock, hard and perfectly pink, bobbing as he rode Teddy. He thought about James stroking himself, thought about how James's cock felt in his hand. God, that'd been one his favourite parts, watching James. He didn't think he'd ever grow tired of seeing that brilliant cock. 

"I did like it." Teddy grinned, still thinking about James's dick. "But I meant, is it like this?" Teddy gently touched a bruise that was forming on his left peck. 

James laughed silently and traced his hands through the hair on Teddy's chest. "Sometimes," he said equably. "Sometimes we touch each other everywhere and then we can't wait and we come in each other's hands, other times you eat my arse and I suck your cock for what feels like hours of bliss. Sometimes I'm hardly through the door and you've got my trousers around my knees and you're blowing me like you'll die without it. It's a lot of ways, with us." James voice hitched a bit and he said, "And sometimes it's not _quite_ like that..." 

"How do you mean, quite?" Teddy asked. 

James turned his head, chin resting on Teddy's chest as their eyes met. He smiled in a sweet, knowing way. "If we do that, it's the other way around. I'm the one tied up and begging for—" James shrugged as if that finished the thought. 

"I'm in charge you mean?" 

"No," James said, jabbing him in the side with a finger. Teddy yelped and laughed, trying to pull away. 

"What is it then?" Teddy asked, grabbing James's hand and kissing it. 

James tried to say something, stopped, tried again, and stopped again. 

"What is it?" Teddy prompted. 

"It's not something we analyse. You probably do. You overthink more than me." 

"Then tell me," Teddy said, his voice hushed, "Why do you do it for me?" 

"You like it." 

Teddy somehow knew he would like taking control of James, even though he couldn't remember having ever done it, but he wanted more of an explanation from James. "Yes, and?" 

"You like feeling power. I'm full of myself, a pain in the arse...you like seeing the power you have over me. You like that I'll get on my hands and knees for you, I'll let you tie me up, you'll spank my arse for some shitty remark I made at dinner. And sometimes, I'll make shitty remarks because that's exactly what I want. You like when I surrender to you and I like surrendering to you. I want you to have the parts of me no one else will ever see. It's..." James said, kissing Teddy's neck, "When you see I'm yours...Merlin, fuck –" James wriggled slightly. "Let's change the subject. All this is going to turn me on." 

"Not ready for another go?" Teddy asked. 

"I'm always ready but this floor is freezing cold and I think my arse might have frozen off." 

James shifted and Teddy reached down grabbing his arse, "It's right here," he said, giving it a firm squeeze. James laughed and squirmed. "It is very cold," Teddy admitted. 

James rolled toward him, kissing him one more time before sitting up. Teddy touched his lips with his fingers, fascinated that he could feel so much only from a kiss. He watched James get up and saunter over to his clothes and pick them up. He turned, grabbed Teddy's, and walked back to Teddy with a smirk that said he knew Teddy was watching him, and he liked it. 

"Here you go," James said, putting Teddy's clothes down next to him. He then held out his jacket, glaring at it. "I don't know that I can put this shit back on. Hand me my wand." James put his hand out and Teddy sat up, patting the ground, looking for the stick James mentioned. He found it close by and picked it up. A jolt, a surge of some kind, went through Teddy. He could feel it from sternum to the tips of his fingers. 

He handed the wand to James, who was still glaring at his jacket. Teddy waved his empty hand in front of his face, wiggling his fingers. It felt like there was lightning in his body, something that could flash, strike, and it wasn't going away even with the wand now in James's capable hands. 

Teddy looked up at James and he wondered if James felt that too when he held a wand. Did all wizards, perhaps? James was twirling it in his fingers again, as if he hadn’t felt a thing. He flicked his wrist and the jacket transformed into a long cloak of some sort. 

He then pointed it at the trousers, shirt and boots, in turn. James pulled on his trousers, no pants again. Teddy stood and focused on getting dressed. If he watched James too long they'd fuck again and Teddy really didn't want his patient waking up to that. 

Teddy did up his flies, looking at James from under lowered lashes. James's trousers were not camouflage at all but a dark wool, navy or charcoal grey. It was hard to see in the dim light. What Teddy did see was that they sat tight against his legs, and there looked to be a row of complicated buttons at the fly. He would enjoy watching James walk around in those, enjoy slowly undoing the buttons. 

Teddy did his best to look away and finish getting dressed but James was a bloody magnet to him. It was so much more than that Teddy wanted to touch him, fuck him. He wanted to be around him, have James right by his side, look at him, talk to him, share moments with him. 

Teddy pulled on his jacket and looked over at James, who was fastening the cloak. He looked James up and down, took in the trousers, tall boots, snug jumper, and even the cape, it all looked right on him. James caught Teddy gaping at him and laughed with a little flick of his brows. 

"Like what you see? I couldn't take one more minute of those heavy Muggle clothes."

"This is what you wear? What we wear?" Teddy asked. 

"Well, yeah, we wear robes to work." James plucked at the cape. "I’m more of a jeans and t-shirt bloke at home." 

"I'm a magical doctor –" 

"You're a Healer." 

"Right, and what do you do?" 

"I'm an Auror. A magical...like this, sort of. It's magical police, but not exactly.. It's more like what we're doing here. You used to do the same thing." 

"I did?" 

"Yeah. You've had Muggle – that's not magic – weapons training and such, it's why you can use a gun without feeling too much like a prat. You didn't like it though, so you left." 

That gave Teddy pause. He could remember that he had been in the military but he couldn't remember for the life of him why he'd done that in the first place. "Tell me about being Auror," Teddy prompted. 

James bit his lip before replying slowly. "You have..er...special abilities. Special even amongst wizards that make you a very good Auror. But you didn't like it, like I said. Searching out baddies, blowing buildings apart, it's not for you. You've a tenderness about you, an empathy and ability to connect that make you much more suited for the Healing arts. You're very good at it." 

"You hang about the hospital watching me?" 

James puffed a laugh. "I've a dangerous job, you've patched me up on more than one occasion." 

Teddy scowled at James, "I don't like the idea of you hurt." 

"I'm very good at my job. Superficial injuries only. You never mind when I get my kit off so you can heal me." 

Teddy smiled despite himself and reached to the waistband of James's trousers, pulling him close. "Is everything sex with us?" 

James looked embarrassed, almost shy, at this. He ruffled his hair with hand in a show of nervousness that pulled at Teddy’s heart. "We enjoy that part. Can't you tell?" 

"I can tell," Teddy said, leaning in and kissing James's jaw. "What else?" 

James let out a slow breath, wrapping his arms around Teddy, holding him tight. He buried his face into the crook of Teddy's neck and slid one hand to place it flat over Teddy's heart 

"You," James said softly. "I — after the tea, the next morning after your gran — I found you. You didn't get out of bed and I got up before you. That was weird. I figured you hadn't slept well but when I looked at you, you looked wrong. Pale lips, still like a statue. I shook you, saying your name, over and over. And I — I brought my hand to your chest thinking you were dead but then I felt your heartbeat. Like I feel it now. It's been a week. A completely mad week trying to get you back. Dad, he wanted to come —" 

"But you came." Teddy held James tighter, unspeakably grateful that he was here. 

"Yeah. They said, the Unspeakables, that it should be me, not my dad." 

"Why you?" Teddy asked, though he was sure he knew. 

"Because you chose me. Chose me for your life." 

Teddy's heart clenched. He took James by the chin, tipping his face up, and kissed him softly. "You didn't choose me?" 

"Ah, well," James said, straightening a bit. "You could've always had me, no matter what, anytime you said so." 

Teddy grinned, not really believing that he was that perfect to James. "You sure I didn't trick you or put a spell on you to think that?" 

"I was a little surprised, at first, when I had a wet dream about you but I've always known." 

They both laughed outright at this, grinning like idiots. "If that's the criteria then it'd make sense you're here." 

"Exactly. Dad wanted to come because he's more comfortable with limited magic than I am. Grew up a Muggle, so he can figure things out more easily without it."

That struck Teddy as odd. "Limited magic? You don't have it all the time, endlessly?" 

James released Teddy but stayed close. "Sure yeah. Not here, though. They said it would probably be limited here, that I shouldn’t count on being able to use any complicated magic and to keep it to the absolutely necessary.. Reckon I was pushing it with the car, unlocked doors, and such, Probably should've dealt with the Muggle clothes. That's a small spell, nothing for it now." 

"You forgot about the cloak thing you threw over us," Teddy said, nervousness growing in his chest. 

James waved his hand dismissively. "No, that's my dad's Invisibility Cloak. That's its own magic. It can keep us safe." 

"It's bulletproof?" 

James snorted. "Not likely, but power isn't solely guns and explosives." 

Gunshots suddenly rattled outside, one after another in quick succession. Teddy hadn't noticed that they’d stopped until now that they had started again. He let go of James and went over to the the ground level windows. He had to stand on his tip-toes to see out of them. The sky was getting lighter, like it was close to dawn. Teddy hadn't noticed how quickly the night had gone. James stepped up next to him, looking out the window, too. No wonder the night had gone quickly, he was something else. 

The gunshots rattled again. It was coming from the other side of the building. James's brow crinkled as he studied the landscape outside. He sat back down on his heels and turned, giving Teddy a hard look. 

Teddy took a step back but was distracted by movement and a cry coming from across the room. Teddy sped to Louisa's side, drawn to help her, comfort her more than anything. 

"How is it?" Teddy asked, allowing her to clutch his hand. 

"Hurts," she said through dry lips. 

Teddy reached past her head to get the bottle of water for her. He gave her a slow drink before feeling her stomach, checking for any signs of fresh blood. 

"How is she?" James said, striding over to Teddy, his cloak swirling around him in a very attractive, commanding way. 

"In pain," Louisa said, making Teddy smile dryly. 

James crouched down, looked at Louisa, and his face went to stone. He looked at Teddy with the same expression. Teddy quickly looked at her again. Did she have a head-wound? Something else Teddy should've noticed? No, she had good colour, not unexpectedly pale. 

"Teddy," James hissed. "You need to stop." 

"Stop what?" Teddy said, reaching for his bag, ready to give Louisa a fresh dose of medicine. 

James grabbed Teddy by his upper arm, yanked him off his feet, pulled him a good distance away from Louisa. 

"What the fuck, James?" Teddy yelled, pulling his arm free. 

"No. What the fuck, Teddy?" James said, scrubbing his hand through his hair and making it more wild than before.. "She's starting to look like your grandmother."

Teddy looked over at Louisa and back at James. "She looks nothing like my grandmother," Teddy said defensively, even as he wasn't certain what he said was true. 

"Shit! You're doing this. The gun fire, the patient. She has your grandmother's hair now, the chin, bet she's even five inches taller than she was before. You have to stop."

"I'm not doing anything!" 

"You're panicking. You don't want to go. You don't bloody trust me!" 

"I trust you, I do." Teddy looked at James wanting him to believe him. Teddy did trust James, he meant it. "But I mean? Why can't we stay? My grandmother. If I leave her –" 

"You're not leaving her! She's already dead!" 

"I don't know that!" Teddy shouted, the niggling uncertainty erupting out of him. 

James shoved his hand in his pocket, pulling out an Oyster card and shoving it into Teddy's hand. "You need to hold onto this," James said urgently. "This is how you get out of here." 

"The Underground?" 

"No," James said angrily. "That's yours, that's the bookmark you always use at home. It's a Portkey now. I can't Disapparate us both out of here and you don't have a wand." 

"Your magic doesn't work," Teddy said flatly. 

James eyes flew wide, burning, and Teddy had thought he’d understood the power in James before, but the fire in his eyes made Teddy think he'd severely underestimated him. "There is nothing wrong with my magic," James said through gritted teeth and Teddy noticed that James had drawn his wand on him. A spark flew from the end of it. 

"You said it had limits. You can't help me." 

"You’re deliberately misunderstanding," James said, lowering his wand.You’re giving up." 

"No, I’m not," Teddy said. It was only a half-lie. 

"You're lying. It's why the gunshots started again. It's why she's looking like your grandmother. You're having doubts. I am here to rescue you," James said desperately. "You believe me?" 

"I do," Teddy said, his throat tight. 

“You have to choose for yourself, but you have to choose to leave here.” James put his hand under Teddy's, forcing him to wrap his fingers around the Oyster card. "When the time is right, when you're ready, you have to go. You can't stay here forever. They said...they said this could destroy you. You might die. You can't. I won't let you." 

Tears welled in James’s eyes and Teddy could feel the urgency in him, James's desperation for him. James pulled Teddy into an embrace. "Come back with me." 

"I'm not going to die," Teddy said and kissed James's hair, his ear, his cheeks, his lips. "I'm not going to die. We belong together. I know that." 

Louisa whimpered and Teddy turned to her. James tightened his grip. "No, it's okay, Jamie. Let me help her. It's okay." He leaned in, kissing James hard one last time before walking back to his patient. 

James ran to the window and cursed spectacularly. "It's getting light. We have to get a move on." 

"Why?" Teddy said, pausing in the act of giving Louisa another drink. 

"We have to continue on with the mission like it's real," James said, striding over to a set of double doors on the very far side of the basement. 

"But you said this isn’t really — " 

"Right," James cut him off. "But you _think_ it is and we have to keep going until you end it." 

"When will it end?" Teddy asked. 

James turned from the doors, "That’s up to you." 

Teddy leaned close over Louisa, checking her pulse as he slowly administered a stronger dose of pain medication. She was a bit warm but not alarmingly so, good strong pulse. Her eyes fluttered open and searched Teddy's face. Christ, they were the same steel grey as his grandmother’s. Had they always been so? 

"It's almost time to go," Teddy whispered. 

Louisa swallowed hard and asked, "When?" 

"As soon as James says so." They both turned their heads to James who was standing, pressed to a crack in the large bay doors, watching the horizon, waiting for the sun to come up. Her eyes drifted closed and she tried to open them again. "Shhh, relax," Teddy said, "I gave you some more medicine, it'll help when we move you." Louisa nodded and Teddy felt her grip on his arm slacken as she dosed off. Teddy gently pushed her hair back from her forehead and tucked the coats tightly around her to keep her warm. 

"How long?" Teddy asked, approaching James quietly. 

James shrugged and looked over his shoulder at Teddy. "I'd say about two minutes but it's whenever the muezzin starts." 

"Right," Teddy nodded, not sure what a muezzin was. 

"Let's get Louisa over here," James said. "When it starts, it'll go quick." Teddy turned to go, but James reached out, grabbing his hand and pulling him back. They faced each other for a quiet moment, hands clasped tightly together. James grinned and pulled Teddy's hand to his mouth and kissed it, keeping his eyes on Teddy.

Teddy couldn't help but smile and he pulled James into a hug. Grabbing his face in both hands, he pressed a kiss to James’s cheek before they turned back to Louisa. 

They groaned as they lifted Louisa from the floor, jostling her slightly. She wakened for a second and then her face was slack once again. 

They held Louisa between them as they walked to the door and James signalled for them to stop. Teddy's shoulders beginning to ache, waiting for any signal from James that it was safe to move. A voice came out over the loud speakers, echoing all around the city, calling its inhabitants to prayer. James pushed open one of the large bay doors and a gust of cold air washed over Teddy's face, taking his breath away for a moment before his heart jumped into his throat. They were completely exposed. 

"It's okay," James said, walking backwards. "I can hear our chariot coming." Teddy heard it too; a car roaring down a street. The tyres squealed as it turned a corner and came right to a stop in front of them. 

"A Peugeot? You brought a fucking Peugeot?" James yelled over his shoulder. The driver yelled at James in what Teddy could only assume was Pashto and, to Teddy's surprise, James yelled back at him in the same language. There was so much about James that Teddy didn't know or couldn't remember, and he wanted to know everything about James. He wanted to explore every bit of James at his leisure.

James yelled one more time and kicked the car angrily. James had kept his cool the entire mission, something Teddy had admired. The fact that he was losing it now made Teddy’s heart was race and he felt scared and helpless. It was eerie outside, with only the sounds of the prayer echoing through the streets. 

"Come on. We have to move now," James said, turning back to Teddy. His equanimity seemed restored but his face was flushed and his eyes burning. The driver pushed open the passenger door and shoved the front seat forward. James's wand flew into his hand and suddenly Louisa was as light as a feather. 

"Let go," James said. Teddy hastily complied. 

Using some sort of levitation, James directed Louisa into the back seat of the car as if it were nothing and Teddy knew she shouldn't have fit, but she did. 

"You can't, your magic," Teddy said in desperation. He grabbed James's arm to stop him but James said, "Too late." 

Teddy jumped into the back seat with Louisa and tried to pull the front seat back into place. It wouldn’t budge. James pointed his wand at it and said something, but nothing happened. He kicked it and swore under his breath. 

"Get out if here," James said shortly. 

"What?" Teddy said, leaning forward to look at James. "No, get in." 

"You have to get Louisa to safety. Go." 

"I’m staying with you. This bloke can take care of her," Teddy said, pointing at James's contact. 

"No, he can't. He's a sodding Muggle. Now do as I say." Teddy stared at James, his mind reeling with all that had happened and now this, a stranger coming to drive him away, leaving James. 

Teddy thrust his rifle at James. "Take this. Get yourself out of here." 

"Farooq is only the driver. You might need it. Now, go we don't have time."

James slammed the car door shut and Teddy was stuck, crouched on the floor of the back seat. The car smelled of old leather and petrol, and the back of the front seat had a piece of jagged metal that stabbed between Teddy's shoulder blades. 

"How are you going to get out of here? What are you going to do? James, you can't," Teddy said, panic overtaking him and emotion crushing his throat. Thunder rolled suddenly overhead and clouds gathered in the sky. 

"I'll be fine." James sounded as confident and as at ease as he did from the start of the mission. "It's this world telling me it's time to go. I think I've enough magic left." 

"What if you don't?" Teddy said, sounding hysterical in his own ears. 

"I'll do," James said and he clasped Teddy on the shoulder. Teddy grabbed his hand and looked at James in the eyes one last time. James smiled. Teddy had no idea how the hell, in this moment, James could manage a smile. It calmed Teddy and reassured him that, maybe, they’d be all right. 

James said a couple of quick words to their driver and pulled his hand from Teddy's shoulder.. 

Teddy felt as helpless as a child crammed into this space. He looked up, out of the window, at James. A large, thick raindrop fell right in the middle of the glass. The engine suddenly revved and the car pulled away. James raised a hand in farewell as they pulled away, then reached into his robes and unfurled something.

Before they turned the corner, Teddy stretched up to look out of the back window at James. He needed to see him one more time. His chest ached as he scanned the street, willing his eyes to see something other than what they did. No James. The street was completely bare. 

Rain started to pour in earnest and their tyres squealed as they took a corner at break-neck speed. _Fuck!_ Teddy really hated cars. 

Teddy thrust his hand into his pocket, desperate for something to hold onto. He felt the edges of the Oyster card. He held it so tightly that the edges bit into his hand. The pain was comforting, confirmation that the Oyster card was real. 

Teddy closed his eyes, feeling sick as they hopped over a kerb and more rain fell. His hand shook and it was slippery with sweat where he clenched the card in his closed fist. Then he could feel James's heart beat, hear his laughter, feel his touch. "Please, please, please," Teddy whispered. He needed James. He could feel James's hands on his skin, James's eyes searching his. He heard the echo of the prayer outside, the chanting of verses. But, no, it wasn't real. A bomb suddenly exploded shaking the car. But, no, it wasn't real. James, he was real.

Teddy gripped the card, knowing what was real, and a tug took him from behind his navel.


End file.
